Astronomers Discover Nebula From Supernova

October 13, 1987|United Press International

FAIRFAX, Va. -- Astronomers reported on Monday they have detected the first signs of the formation of a huge transparent gas cloud called a nebula resulting from the awesome star explosion discovered in February 163,000 light years away.

Until now, the expanding mass of gases from the supernova had been so thick and bright it had appeared opaque.

Scientists from two major observatories in Chile, where the supernova radiation can be detected, reported at an international astrophysical conference at George Mason University they have identified light spectra typically associated with a nebula.

The detection of the new supernova nebula was reported by Mark Phillips of the Cerro Tolo InterAmerican Observatory and I.J. Danziger of the European Southern Observatory. The supernova occurred 163,000 years ago, but radiation traveling at the speed of light -- 186,000 miles a second -- reached Earth last February. Although far away, the supernova is the closest stellar explosion in nearly 400 years, and the brightest since 1885.

A West German research team with an instrument aboard the Soviet Mir space station reported detecting high-energy X-rays from the supernova.